Ratchet wrenches that contain a drive stud shaped and dimensioned to be received by an opening in a tool such as a socket are well known in the art. In addition to having a drive stud, the ratchet wrench disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,575,069 to White contains an exposed drive recess in its ratchet wheel. The drive recess can be connected to a drive stud of a non-ratcheting tool with a screwdriver-type handle, which is used to turn a nut, screw, or bolt when it becomes difficult or impractical to use the primary handle of the wrench for a ratcheting operation. U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,536 to Roberts et al. discloses another tool that has a drive stud and an exposed drive recess.
Other ratchet wrenches have components that resist movement of the ratchet wheel away from the axis of rotation. For example, in the wrench disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,995 to Roberts, a ratchet wheel is provided with an annular raised boss on the side of the ratchet wheel opposite the drive stud, and this boss fits within a recess in the head of the wrench. The boss resists forces tending to decenter the ratchet wheel with respect to its axis of rotation. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,140 to Roberts et al. discloses a centering element that extends from the head of a wrench into an annular recess on a face of a ratchet wheel opposed to a drive stud.